Tempo-controller for piano-players.



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nrmourmx 31mm szrthm. 1w 2 Pat entad 18, 1913;

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QVHHHHU 2 00 30 ooooo oooo 0 000 000 000 0000000 0000 00000 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE,"

EUGENE T. TURNEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN'OR TO AMERICAN PNEUMATIC ACTION COMPANY, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

TEMPO-CONTROLLER FOR PIANO-PLAYERS.

To allwhomjt may concern."

-Be itv known that I,-EUGENE ,T. TURKEY,

, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Tempo-Controller for Piano- Players, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tothe provision of mechanism for mechanically varying and controlling the rate of succession of the notes or tempo, of the production, and consists of the provision of a pneumatic for controlling the amount of power actuating the motor, and the control of the pneumatic by admitting thereto varying quantities of air by an arrangement of perforations in "the music roll.

- I attain the above results by the mechanis'm illustrated'in the accompanying drawing in which,-

- igure' 1 .is anelevat'ion of-my invention partially in section; F 1g. 21s a transverse section through the control aperture in the tracker board; Fig. 3 is a partial elevation of a tracker'boa-rd and music sheet with one arrangement of control perforations therein; F1g.4 is a fragmental view of'a music.

roll with'a slightly modified arrangement of control perforations therein; Fig. 5 is a' fragmental view of a music roll with a fur th'er modified arrangement of control perforations, and Fig. 6 is a fragmental view with still another modification of control perforations. v

'The reference numerals 2, and 3, designate respectively the upper and lower spools for a music roll, 4, in the usual relation to which is located a tracker board, 5. The spools 2 and 3, are connected by any'suitable wind and rewind mechanism, 6, to a motor, 7, which is connected by a tube, 8," with a compartment, 9, one of two contiguous compartment-s, 9 and 10,'which are located in a casing, 11, and separated by. a part1- tion, 12.

A port, 13, in the partition, 12, connects the compartments, 9 and 10, and directly opposite this port, 13, in the compartment, 9, is a block, 14', having a channel, 15, therein which is positioned. axially with relation to I said port. Mounted to slide in said channel,

15, is a valve stem 16, which extends through and outside of the compartment, 10. Upon the valve st'm, 16, is'mounted a valve, '17, adapted toplbse the port, 13, and about the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented l\Iar. 18, 1913;

' Application filed September 18, 1911. Serial No. 649,850.

' valve stem 16, and between-the valve, 17

matic, 20, and this channel is closed by a parchment or other suitable medium, 23, in which there is a reduced opening or bleed hole, 24. 'A suitable tube, 25, also connects the'interio'r'of the bellows, 20, with an aperture, 26, in the'tracker board] The above described mechanism operates as follows: Air is drawn from the motor through the tube 8 into the compartment, 9, thence throughthe port, 13, to the compartment, l0, and through the tube 19 to the pump. This will cause the movement of the motor, but the partial vacuum or rarefaction of theair in the compartment, 10, will exhaust air through the bleed hole, 24:, from the bellows, 20, which being collapsed by the atmospheric pressure, will, through the arm, 21, depress the valve stem, 16, against the action of thespring, 18,"and force the valve 17 to close the port 13. This would close off the passage to the motor if air was not admitted from the tracker board'through the tube 25jto the interior of the bellows so as to permit the spring, '18, to force the, valve 17 out of the port, 13. a 4

The means I provide for graduating, or increasing and diminishing, the air admitted to the interior of the bellows, 20, from the tracker board and thereby controlling the speed ofthe motor and tempo of the piece is as follows-:The hole, 26, in the tracker board is extended longitudinally of the tracker board or'transv'ersely with respect to the music rollv (as clearly shown in'Fig- 3,) so that a number of perforations, or perforations of different size, may be coincident with it at the same time.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a meandering line of perforations, 27, provided in the music roll, 4, and it will be seen that. when this line of perforations,- 27 approaches the aperture, 26, at right angles aless number of perforations in the line will register with theaperture than when the line is more or less oblique with the aperture, and that the number pf perforations registering with the aperture w1ll increase with the obliquity of the line.

In Fig. 4, the line of perforations are zig zag backward and forward"across the opening more sharply than .shown in Fig. 3, but in this case also the obliquity ot' the line of perforations to the a erture would also determine the amount of air admitted tothe bellows, '20-, although the perforations employed in the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 should be smaller and more numerous than with the arrangement shown in Fig. 3.

In F ig.'5 a plurality of parallel rows, .28, of perforations are employed. One or more of the rows being discontinued to reduce the amount of air admitted to the bellows, 20.

In Fig. 6 is'shown an arrangement with different size perforations, '27, the larger the perforations, the more air would be admitted to the bellows.

In my application No. 64:9,851 of September 18, 1911 I have shown and claimed the undulating perforations above described.

The pneumatic 20 will stand more or less- Iopen as the opening through the controlling aperture 26 is made greater or less bythe perforat1ons 27 of the music sheet. The aperture 26 in fact constitutes an admisslon port to the pneumatic 20 which port is varied in area automatically as the sheet advances and the difl'erent portions of the perforated line pass over the aperture. The suction pipe 19 in which there is always a partial vacuum'acts continuously to draw air through the bleed hole 24; which constitutes. the exhaust port of thepneumatic.

' .The result is undulating pressure-or suction in; the pneumatic varying in degreein accordance with the opening of the admission po'bt 26. Thus we. have in' the single pneumatic 20 a graduated action; as distinguished from previous controlling devices in which the pneumatics have been employed which were shifted alternately to full pressure (or suction) or no pressure.

' Having thus described my invention what I claimas new, is

1. In a player for planos, in combination,

- I a music sheet, a motor'for moving said sheet,

'a single pneumatic device movable to a variable extent for controlling the speed of said motor and means controlled by said sheet for varying the quantity of. air admitted to said pneumatic controlling device and the extent of movement thereof.

.' 2. In aplaye'r for pianos, in combination,-

"a tracker-board, 'a music sheet, a motor for moving said sheet, a single pneumatic device movable'to a variable extent for controlling said motor, said pneumatic device communicating with said tracker-board, and said tracker board being apertured to provide communication of said pneumatic device with the atmosphere, said sheet being apertured to admit airthrough said trackeri as to cause a varying movement thereof,

whereby to vary the speed of the motor.

4, In a player for pianos, in combination,

a tracker-board, a music sheet movable over said tracker-board, a motorfor moving said sheet, a pneumatic device controlling said motor, said trackerboard having a single aperture COIIIIIIHIHCatIIIg WIth said pneu; mat1c device and said sheet having perform tions adapted to pass over said aperture and to vary the quantity through. v

-5. In a layer for pianos, in combination, a trackeroard having a single aperture therein, a music sheet adapted topass over of air admitted theresaid tracker-board, 'and having perforations adapted to pass over said aperture and arranged to vary thequantity ofair admitted thereto through the sheet, and means controlled by such quantity of air for moving the sheet. I I a l 6. In a playerfor pianos in combination a motor and means for controllin thereof including-a pneumatic having air admission and exhaust ports, means for. 'fv'arying the-relative areas of said portsand continuously acting means for causing a. flow of air through one of said ports.

the speed y,

7. In a player for pianos in combination a motor and means for controllin the speed. thereof including a pneumatic avingair ,admission and exhaustports, said exhaust port beingof. fixed area, means for auto- I matically varying the area of said admission port and a continuously acting suction device for sucking air through said exhaust port.

in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE T. TURNEY.

, Witnesses:

EDNA M. HALL,

FRANCIS CH. JEoER,Jr.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature lo 

